The Supreme Court on Monday exercised its extraordinary powers to keep in abeyance the conviction and sentencing of Yatin Oza, the President of the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA), for making scandalous remarks against the state judiciary.
While the apex court refused to interfere with the reasoning provided by the Gujarat High Court in its original conviction order, a bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and A.S. Chandurkar extended what it termed a “final act of forgiveness.” The court invoked Article 142 of the Constitution to indefinitely suspend the execution of Oza’s sentence, which originally included “rising of the court” and a fine of ₹2,000.
The legal battle stems from an October 6, 2020, verdict by the Gujarat High Court, which found Oza guilty of contempt after he described the High Court as a “gamblers’ den” during a press conference. Consequently, the High Court stripped him of his “Senior Advocate” designation.
The Supreme Court had previously intervened in October 2021, restoring Oza’s senior gown for a two-year probationary period that began in January 2022, describing it as his “one more and last chance.” However, the relationship between Oza and the bench remained strained.
The current proceedings were complicated by a fresh incident of alleged misconduct in April 2024. According to court documents, during a writ petition hearing on April 9, 2024, Oza allegedly accused the presiding judge of “forum shopping.”
The Full Court of the Gujarat High Court reviewed video footage of the proceedings, noting that Oza appeared for a respondent without a briefing counsel or a formal power of appearance. On April 15, 2024, the Full Court resolved that his behavior was “unbecoming of a senior advocate” and intended to “browbeat the court,” leading to a resolution to recall his restored seniority. This marked the “sixth incident” in a decades-long history of friction.
In its judgment on Monday, the Supreme Court maintained a strict stance on the merits of the High Court’s findings but chose a path of conditional leniency.
“The reasons assigned in the impugned order by the High Court do not warrant any interference by this court,” the bench noted. “Yet, extending a final act of forgiveness, we are inclined to exercise our power under Article 142 of the Constitution to suspend/ keep in abeyance the conviction as well as sentence of the appellant as a consequence of this judgment indefinitely.”
The stay is not unconditional. The Supreme Court has directed the Full Court of the Gujarat High Court to undertake a periodic review of Oza’s conduct every two years, specifically in light of the undertaking he submitted to the court regarding his future behavior.
Oza, a prominent figure in the Gujarat legal community, was recently elected as the GHCAA president for the 19th time on December 20, 2025.
